AFTER WHAT FEELS like a very long summer, we now seem to be seeing a steady shift into autumn. For anyone who has been fortunate enough to make an early morning visit to the woods, the long shadows and weak sunlight slanting through dew-draped cobwebs will confirm that the year is approaching its latter stages. For anyone else, the shortening days provide undeniable confirmation that winter isn’t too far away.
In the meantime, we find ourselves in an exciting transitional period which offers airgunners a wealth of shooting opportunities. Farmers will be getting in the very last of their summer cereal crops, as they have been on my patch, and that can bring some brilliant pigeon shooting. This issue’s Countryman feature follows me as I make the most of the chance to bag a few woodies, and the tactics I use should still work well if you find yourself shooting after the later maize harvest, over autumn drillings, and even over rape and clover in the winter.